About 100 Minutemen and other guests from across the United States rallied at the US Capitol and stormed the Senate offices last week to build opposition to any and all Amnesty/Guest Worker proposals that will be discussed in the Senate next month along with HR4437 (the House passed Sensenbrenner bill). Minutemen met with Senators, aides, and distributed extensive informational packets (including each Senator's immigration Report Card) to all 100 Senator's offices.

Speakers at the rally included (partial list):
- Congressman Tom Tancredo - Colorado
- Congressman Dana Rohrabacher - California
- Jim Gilchrist - Minutemen Co-founder
- Barbara Coe - CCIR (California Coalition for Immigration Reform)
- Michelle Dallacroce - MAIA (Mothers Against Illegal Aliens) - Phoenix
- Peter Gadial - 9/11 Families for a Secure America - New York
- Terry Anderson & Mark Edwards - Talk radio show hosts, activists
- Robert Vasquez - Idaho Congressional Candidate

If Minutemen storming the Capitol wasn't enough to convince the Senators, we were followed by the Blizzard of 2006 to let them know we meant business. CNN - Lou Dobbs Tonight show covered the rally. See the Washington Times article "Minutemen rally against illegals" and our photo gallery below.

Several Minutemen traveled to the nearby town of Herndon, Virginia to support and attend a Herndon Minutemen meeting led by George Taplin. They have gained national attention battling the Herndon day laborer hiring center. Chris Simcox and Jim Gilchrist were among many prominent speakers at the well attended and informative event.

Hispanic separatist groups are running scared due to the Minutemen, HR4437, several cities such as Costa Mesa pursuing police/ICE agreements, etc. They held a meeting in Riverside, California to work on their strategy against HR4437. Previously they had a three level strategy:
Level 1. Call those who want our laws enforced racist.
Level 2. See level 1
Level 3. See level 2
I guess they still don't want to confuse the issue with any facts. See the Press Enterprise article "Anti-immigration bill targeted" below. Myself and Minuteman Tim Donnelly are quoted in the article. I have reminded the reporter that HR4437 is an anti-illegal immigration/pro-enforcement bill.

Two upcoming events are worthy of your consideration:
1. Feb.15 - Candlelight vigil at California Senator Dianne Feinstein's Los Angeles office sponsored by FAIR.
2. Feb.18-20 - Mothers Against Illegal Aliens (MAIA) protest at Hereford, Arizona. This dedicated new group needs your support.
See event details below.

Arne Chandler
CASA - Citizen Activists for a Secure America
PO Box 164, Temecula, CA 92593
CASA is committed to Secure Borders and Legal Immigration
Remember - National Security begins with Border Security
Proud Participant - Original Minuteman Project-Arizona-April 2005

Minutemen rally against illegals
By Keyonna Summers
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
February 9, 2006


About 100 members of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, an illegal-immigration watchdog group, rallied outside the U.S. Capitol yesterday to protest President Bush's proposed guest-worker program and urge the government to send military troops to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.
At one point, the group clashed with two Nazi demonstrators and about a dozen pro-immigration activists who came out to protest the Minuteman supporters.
Several Minutemen supporters said an estimated 3 million illegals who cross the border each year smuggle drugs, rape women, burden public services and steal jobs from U.S. citizens, especially from blacks and legal immigrants. The group began patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border last spring.
Jim Gilchrist, the group's co-founder, and Rep. Tom Tancredo, Colorado Republican, said Mr. Bush's guest-worker plan creates an "amnesty" that would encourage more illegals to cross onto U.S. soil. The plan would allow U.S. employers to recruit immigrants and illegals already in the country for hard-to-fill positions.
"What the president has done is invite literally hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens into the U.S. [and the Senate is] planning to blindly pass [the guest-worker amnesty plan] without any recognition to what Americans want," Mr. Gilchrist said.
"We have to know who these people are, where they live," he said. "To ignore this [illegal-immigration] problem, which has become a menace to society, is asking for a death wish."
The House last year passed a border-enforcement bill that calls for, among other things, the construction of 700 miles of fence along the U.S.-Mexico border and makes it a felony to cross illegally. The Senate will debate its own version of the bill in coming weeks.
Other speakers yesterday included Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, California Republican; the California Coalition for Immigration Reform; Americans for Immigration Control; and Mothers Against Illegal Aliens.
About 15 minutes into the rally, a dozen pro-immigration demonstrators interrupted the Minutemen and their supporters, by ringing bells and chanting "Minutemen, go away! Racist, sexist, anti-gay!" They also carried signs that read "Change Your Name, You're Still the KKK" and "No One Is Illegal."
Minutemen supporters surrounded the protesters and tried to shield them from view with signs.
Pro-immigration protester Michelle Smith, 24, of the District, said illegal aliens support the economy by performing the low-paying field or factory jobs that Americans don't want. "People should be allowed to work. People should be allowed to eat," she said.
Jorge Cisneros, with the League of United Latin American Citizens, said the Minutemen perpetuate a "racist mentality" that tarnishes the image of the Hispanic community. "Latinos are the most segregated population in our country today, and it's because of people like this," he said.

Police escorted from the rally two demonstrators from the National Socialist Movement who wore swastika arm bands. The men called the Minutemen "sellouts" because the group denies that its stance on illegal entry is based on race or ethnicity.
The men, who identified themselves as Nazis, support white immigrants -- legal or illegal -- and oppose blacks, Hispanics and other minorities.
The Minuteman rally was part of a weeklong movement to bring awareness to the country's illegal-entry issue.
Earlier this week, 16 sheriffs from Texas border towns testified before Congress about their experiences with illegal-alien drug traffickers.
The Minutemen today will urge Senate leaders to adopt several border-enforcement measures. Minutemen co-founder Chris Simcox, Mr. Gilchrist and Mr. Tancredo also are expected to attend this week's annual national Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.



Minuteman Project supporter Deborah Courtney of Orange County, California, argues with counter-demonstrators during a rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. (Getty Images)
Anti-immigration bill targeted
SUMMIT: Attendees vow to fight the proposal, which makes it a criminal offense to be in the US illegally.
12:56 AM PST on Sunday, February 12, 2006
By MELISSA EISELEIN / The Press-Enterprise
Sensenbrenner bill
The proposed bill, HR4437, by Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., includes several provisions intended to control immigration. Among them:
Build a 700-mile iron fence in parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Require all employers to check the legal status of workers.
End the "catch-and-release" policy for non-Mexican immigrants.
Require Homeland Security Department to employ the personnel and technology needed to secure the border.


RIVERSIDE - About 550 people attended an Immigration Summit on Saturday to learn how they could help stop an anti-immigration bill from being signed into law.
The event, organized by the National Alliance for Human Rights at the Riverside Convention Center, focused on the Sensenbrenner bill, approved by the House in December on a vote of 239-182.
The bill's opponents say they expect the Senate to vote on it late March. If passed, the bill by Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R- Wis., would make it a criminal offense to be in the United States without permission. Under current law, it is a civil offense.
Armando Navarro, professor of ethnic studies at UCR and coordinator of Saturday's summit, said the alliance is working on a two-point plan focusing on leaders in America, Mexico, and Central and South American countries. A delegation may go to Mexico in the next three weeks to meet with President Vicente Fox, members of Congress and ambassadors from other countries to solicit support against the bill, he said.
"If they come out openly and protest, that would influence the Senate because it would create a diplomatic problem for the Bush administration," Navarro said. "Basically we as Mexicanos and Latinos are facing what some of us describe as literally a political war."
Tim Donnelly, a Twin Peaks resident who is a leader with the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps of California, said the group should instead pressure Fox to make his country a place where citizens can work and earn a living wage.
"The illegal aliens are coming here because they are treated better in the United States than they are in their own country," Donnelly said by phone from Maui.
Groups are planning protests, boycotts and marches against the legislation in the Inland area. A 50-member group called Comite Latino is planning a human chain today to stretch from Coachella to the Palm Springs office of Rep. Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs. A rally is scheduled for March 25 in Los Angeles.
On Monday, Gustavo Ramirez of Pomona will join other residents to encourage council members to pass an ordinance prohibiting police from enforcing immigration laws if the Sensenbrenner bill passes. Similar ordinances have been approved in Maywood and Huntington Park.
Maywood Mayor Felipe Aguirre told the audience Saturday that his council saw the legislation as an attack against the people of Maywood.
"We had to say something. We had to make the strong effort not just to oppose the bill but to make our city a sanctuary for immigrants," Aguirre said.
The Maywood ordinance states that the city police will not cooperate with the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services even if the Sensenbrenner bill passes, he said.
Arne Chandler, who spoke by phone from Washington, D.C., where he and about 75 other Minuteman members spent three days lobbying Senate officials, said he was shocked by the city's decision.
"It's a sad day when a city makes a policy to aid and abet illegal aliens," Chandler said.
Reach Melissa Eiselein at (951) 567-2409 or meiselein@PE.com





SAVE THE AMERICAN WORKER CANDLELIGHT VIGIL
Feb. 15, Senator Dianne Feinstein's Los Angeles Office
Mark your calendars! Bring friends and family!
Help save the American worker! Take part in a candlelight vigil next Wednesday at Senator Dianne Feinstein's Los Angeles office requesting she support the American worker by using her power as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee to stop Senate passage of a guest worker amnesty program.
Bring candles to light and as many likeminded friends and family members as possible. We need maximum attendance to make a strong impression on Sen. Feinstein. Please remember this is a candlelight vigil, not an angry protest. Our objective is to light a candle of hope for American workers and to make Sen. Feinstein understand that snuffing that flame of hope would be a tragic mistake.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over immigration-related matters and is planning to start hearings on guest worker amnesty legislation in early March with full Senate consideration in late March. Our goal is to reach Sen. Feinstein before the hearings begin.
EVENT DETAILS
WHAT: "SAVE THE AMERICAN WORKER" Candlelight Vigil
WHEN: Wednesday, Feb.15, beginning at 6:00PM
WHERE: Senator Dianne Feinstein's Los Angeles Office
11111 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Contact FAIR's National Field Director Susan Tully at tullys@fairus.org for more information.
Help stop the guest worker amnesty program…join this candlelight vigil asking Sen. Feinstein to do what's right for the American worker!

Mothers Against Illegal Aliens (MAIA) protest
Location: Highway 92 south of MM 331 and the Hunter Canyon area of Hwy 92
Hereford, Arizona, Cochise County, Arizona
February 18, 19 and 20, 2006
9:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M.
MAIA will physically survey the trails, routes and trash ridden areas in which illegal aliens enter the US. MAIA will be protesting on Highway 92 south of mile marker (MM) 331 and in the Hunter Canyon area of the highway to bringing national attention to the uninformed legal mothers and families of America. Children in Cochise County are put in jeopardy with illegal aliens hiding in bushes and trails, only steps away from areas where children board their school buses and throughout the rural desert. Mothers Against Illegal Aliens is the voice of legal children who are unable to defend their rights, all our legal children who our Country has forgotten.
For more information, please contact:
Email: MothersAgainstIllegalAliens@yahoo.com
Website: MothersAgainstIllegalAliens.org